I can only imagine what the guests must have thought, walking into the Mercantile for pizza to be greeted by a man whose long golden hair was braided with garlic bulbs. Next to him stood a woman with a pile of flowers on her head and a man with a crown made out of flip-flops.
A laughing lady with a stuffed pony perched on her head casually ate pizza with a young man whose head was lodged in a travel pillow adorned with silverware dangling on strings. “Do you need a fork?” he asked her with a straight face.
If I walked in on this scene never having been to Dancing Rabbit before, I would only imagine, “Yep, this must be a cult.” But no, it’s not; there’s a good reason for the strangeness.
Nik here at Dancing Rabbit, to tell you that if you missed Pizza Night at the Mercantile last Thursday, you missed Alline’s birthday, which most years means a Silly Hat Party in her honor. The dining room was packed like sardines in silly sardine hats, and between the singing, laughing and Alline’s rightfully famous salted-caramel cupcakes, I do think the guests got swept up in the silliness as well.
Pressing business called me away before most of the Silly Hat Awards could be doled out by Alline herself, but I did get to see the award for “Best Not-a-Hat Hat”, the “Most Sparkly Hat”, and the “Alline Likes Me Best” Award, which suspiciously goes to Kurt, her husband, every year. It was nightfall, and that meant I was off to work on Dancing Rabbit’s newest mural.
For the last few weeks, resident artists Scout and I have been designing and painting a new three-panel mural on the undecorated, yet prominent, sides of Bike World, in the outdoor kitchen/shed near the front of the village.
We’ve been starting at night, using a projector to trace out the original drawings onto the corrugated metal siding of the shed. On the other side of the building is Dancing Rabbit’s more well-known mural, painted back in 1999 by Artist in Residence Barbara Duperron, using native plant and animal motifs. That mural is still vibrant as ever! To see more or to follow the progress of the new mural, you can follow our Instagram account.
Everyone who comes here for the first time must wonder what to expect. There are too many stories to count, but one that happened recently, the Women’s Empowerment Retreat, needs to be told. But I’m not the one to tell it.
We have our very own Happy Rabbit, aka Katherine, on the ground with a first-hand account:
The Women’s Retreat was awesome!
We brought together the city folk with the farm women, early 20s to mid 50s, moms & not-moms alike.
The tri-communities were well represented, as Cynthia from Sandhill Farm taught a building workshop, and Alyson from Red Earth Farms opened a door for personal growth work.
The meet-and-greet set the intention for the weekend with a call and response song to identify ourselves. Mine went like this: “I am a hard woman (I am a hard woman). I am a fire woman (I am a fire woman). I am a loving woman (I am a loving woman).” To which the group responded, “And we are glad you’re here!”
Each woman who came to the ecovillage that weekend was already strong in her own right. I hope that we were able to provide a sense of community, the knowledge that we have each others’ backs, and some take-home tools to spread the good work of Women’s Empowerment.
Women’s Empowerment: What does it mean? To me, knowing that I am just as capable as any man. To lift less weight does not mean that I am less, rather that I may feel strength in asking for help from my sisters.
Empowerment: To choose my own journey and inspire young girls that brains are attractive and that “no” is a perfectly acceptable answer. To dance, to sing, to read a book and then write your own! Your body is beautiful because you are the divine feminine, not a stereotype of what others tell you to be. To decide for yourself if unshaved legs are attractive (they are!). Remember your power. No one may give it to you, and no one may take it.
You are a woman, and I (Katherine) am glad you’re here.
And I (Nik) am glad you are here!
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Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Here at Dancing Rabbit, we’re constantly moving to raise awareness on how to live in balance with our Earth. Today, we offer appreciations to the Climate Riders of 2016. Thank you!!!
We are especially happy and grateful that Brad Jacobson will once again don the Rabbit banner he picked up so long ago, by participating in Climate Ride in support of DR! Brad helped with building Skyhouse circa 2001, and 10 years later lent his expertise again on another building project in the village! As the years go by, we appreciate our friends who stay in touch. Your support means the world to us!
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Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.